Knee cartilage thinning

Common Questions and Answers about Knee cartilage thinning

knee

Is it common for the cartilage in your knee to rapidly thin? I had an xray and MRI was told I had a meniscus tear. I had arthoscopic surgery and had the tear "fixed". I was told everything looks good, no arthritis. Shortly after the surgery I experienced sevre pain and was unable to put any weight on my that leg.

in the report it also says focal thinning articular cartilage. the cartilage over the lateral campartment trochles is present, thinning and fibrillation over ct along the inner margin over the medial patellar facet. the doctor never told me about that part of the report. only reson for the recheck was because i wantedl to get script for pt to maybe help with pain from sx . I'm a 55 year old active women, should say I was active to the knee issues.I all have dd issue in my back.

This means that under your knee cap is rough looking (kind of like a field of hay) not smooth and prestine. This will accelerate arthritis. Chondral thinning is basically thinning of the cartilage of the inside half of the end of your femur. Let me know if this makes sense to you or want further info. Best of luck!

The MRI mentions thinning of the cartilage underlying the knee cap along with inflammatory changes probably suggesting a minute fracture in the region. These is also a small defect observed in the cartilage underlying the knee cap that forms the knee joint.
Hope this is helpful.
Take care!

There is diffuse thinning of greater
than 50% of the medial patellar cartilage. There is diffuse
cartilagethinning of greater than 50% thickness within the
medial compartment with a 2 cm focal area of cartilage loss at
harshaw, michael wayne CONFIDENTIAL Page 6 of 20
the weight-bearing surface. There is associated cortical
irregularity of the medial femoral condyle. There is mild diffuse
cartilage thinning of less than 50% thickness in the lateral
compartment.
No effusion.

He has some mild chondral thinning of the medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau ? does this mean I will need a knee replacement and is my cartilage for my medial meniscus thinning away?I was told that I still have over 83 % of my medial cartilage still left does this have anything too do with my low grade meniscus surgery that I had back in last October?

I got a report of " focal thinning and superficial fissuring of articular cartilage in median ridge of patella=Chondromalacia patella(Grade II)
can you review and let me know the exact problem, is it curable

Please explain the following information, so I can understand what are the MRI findings on my left knee.
1. Mild diffuse thinning of articular cartilage in the medial tibio-femoral articulation.
2. Small fissure in the femoral articular cartilage at the patella-femoral joint.
3. Patella mildly laterally subluxed.
4. Large amount of joint effusion.

you tore your posterior and lateral meniscus - they were both repaired, but you have significant thinning of the cartilage behind the kneecap - pieces that tore were floating around, so they removed them - you had extensive repair to the tendons, and not much cartilage left behind the knee cap - so yes, you can expect the recovery to be long and painful. Sorry = but you will recover = when you are allowed, try swimming - slowly at first and gradually increasing time.

Partial thickness fissuring of the cartilage at the patellar apex is present with otherwise mild thinning of the medial patellar facet and patellar apical cartilage diffusely. There is subcutaneous edema about the anterior and medial aspect of the knee most pronounced below the joint line and there is evidence for a decompressed Baker's cyst.
Can anyone explain to me what this means? Am I going to end up with another knee surgery?

Dear Sir,
I have a problem in my right knee for the past 2 months due to which there is difficulty in walking and also little pain when I stretch my knee straight after a while. Had MRI done and report says
" Tear in Posterior Horn of Medial meniscus.
partial anterior cruciate Ligament tear with posterior cruciate ligament buckling.
Earlier degenerative changes noted as tibial spiking, marrow & articular cartilage thinning.

The X-ray showed nothing and the MRI showed thinning of the cartilage. It somtimes feels like something gets in the way in the front of my knee and then stepping down on it is extremely painful. I could be walking fine one minute and the next limping from the pain shooting through my knee. There was never a definate diagnosis. He told me to come back when my knee flared up again but the last flare up hasn't really ever ended. It clicks all the time.

Well, the report described degenerative changes possible secondary to trauma with findings of PCL tear, medical meniscus tear and chondromalacia (thinning of joint cartilage). This is usually associated with significant amount of inflammations, possible responsible for the symptoms. The management is largely dependent on grade of the injuries described and the level of physical activity.

I was originally diagnosed with significant thinning of the interior cartilage of my knee (I don't have the radiology report in front of me). I'm in the Army so when I got that diagnosis, they just had me walk instead of run. That was 4 years ago. Now I'm 31, and the pain is much more intolerable. I just had knee scopes done, with a micro fracture on my right knee. The left knee was scoped but not micro fractured.

The MRI describes degenerative changes of the knee joint with loss of cartilage that lines the part of the bones that forms the joint and inflammatory degeneration of the patellar tendon and tendon of the gastrocnemius muscle; associated with inflammation and increased fluid secretion within the joint.
Hope this is helpful.
Take care!

I am only 43yrs old and the mother of a 1yr old and a 5 1/2 yr old....I had an ACL replacement approx. 20yrs ago, and now have severe pain and instability. I can't fully extend my knee due to extreme pain, (in the best case), and sometimes it feels as though something is caught in there....something that still has feeling, and I cant even walk on it,(worst case and about 50% of the time). I did not injure it that I know of, but MRI now shows ACL graft is gone and many other tears and OA.

MRI says- severe bone bruising and bleeding, micro fractures of tibia, 2 complex menus all tears-anterior and posterior, grade2-3 cartilagethinning, fluid above knee and in knee behind patella, bathers cyst, ligament strain, some bone growth and early osteoarthritis. What the hell do I do- I am thinking lose weight, swim, take chondritin, glucosamine, vitamin c, see a knee surgeon... what I DONt want is a knee replacement. It is a bit stiff, swollen and aches.

I just received my results from MRI ordered by my rumatologist since my original surgeon told me I was just taking longer to heal than most people. Results from this new MRI (81/2) months post surgery state small radial tear and undersurface tear/fraying at the horn of the lateral miniscus. Fraying also seen at the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.

Focal deep fissuring
is also seen in the cartilage of the femoral trochlea superiorly with marked
thinning of the trochlea cartilage laterally. There are moderately large
osteophytes in the patellofemoral compartment. Postoperative changes of lateral
patellar release are suggested.
There is focal full-thickness cartilage loss in the medial compartment with
large marginal osteophytes and some reactive subcortical marrow signal changes.

I had the classic snap/snap pop when I swung a baseball bat. My right knee had the damage done, and I fell to the floor. I had an MRI done and I won't bore you with the two page summary, but here is the impression.
I do not currently have health insurance. Had a great job, but my Anklosing Spondylitis took the drivers seat in my life and I am currently trying to get it back. I just keep having these setbacks. Also my Vit. D is also very low in the teens which I take a supplement for.

This is an anatomical variant, which may be predisposed to patellar instability.
4)area of cartilagethinning (.5cm) at posterior weight bearing surface of the lateral tibial plateau.
Clinically, knee feels somewhat unstable, mild discomfort,long walks aggravate it.
So, before I consult my doc, I wondered what the odds of surgery vs nonsurgery are for me.
I am not athletic but enjoy hiking.

Focal abnormality involving the median ridge of the patella where there is
irregularity and thinning of the articular cartilage and abnormal signal which
extends into the subcortical bone. This has progressed in the interval. Medial
and patellofemoral ligaments intact. Quadriceps and patellar tendons intact.
Otherwise normal bone marrow signal. No other cartilage defects.
Impression:
IMPRESSION:
1. No evidence of meniscal tear.
2.

The MRI describes degeneration and thinning of the cartilage that covers the patella/ knee cap. Management is largely dependent on the severity and is conservative in most cases. I would suggest discussing the situation and the management plan in detail with your treating doctor.
Hope this is helpful.
Take care!

severe tearing of the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, segment of absent cartilage on the lateral tibial articular surface with subchondral marrow edema, severe cartilagethinning of the lateral patellar facet, chronic tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and a complex Baker's cyst with evidence of leakage or dissection of fluid from the cyst inferiorly into the calf.
Can these issues be repaired with arthroscopic surgery? Would you recommend a knee replacement? I'm 51 years old.

My orthopedic isn't giving me much information
There is grade 2 to 3 thinning in the medial lateral compartment
cartilage without focal chondral defect. The patellar cartilage
demonstrates minimal thinning. The trochlear cartilage on straight
minimal thinning.
1. Likely partial tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament as there is
intermediate T2 signal intensity as well as abnormal horizontal
orientation of the anterior cruciate ligament suggesting at least some
degree of insufficiency.

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